


Impostor Syndrome

by Flexor



Category: RWBY
Genre: Cold, Grumpy - Freeform, Hungry, Impostor Syndrome, Leadership qualities, tired, wet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-08
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-25 12:08:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4960051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flexor/pseuds/Flexor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Professor Ozpin now and then lets his sadism run free. But making the team leaders sit in a nice warm aircraft, sipping hot coffee, while outside, their teams are slowly melting into the mud is above and beyond the normal cause. Still, there's important lesons to be learned for aspiring team leaders.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Impostor Syndrome

**Author's Note:**

> "Impostor syndrome" is an inability of someone to acknowledge their skills and achievements, even if deserved. Even Albert Einstein suffered from it according to Wikipedia. Ruby gets a twinge, but in the end, she can overcome it, thanks to her friends.

It was a wonderful day for a little stroll in the beautiful countryside of the world of Remnant. If by "wonderful" you meant a rainstorm bucketing down in a wind that howled like a pack of Beowolves, by "little stroll" you meant a fifty-mile trek carrying fifty pounds of bricks on your back, and by "beautiful countryside" you meant a windswept, barren, wet, muddy highland where the wind could get a _really_ good run-up when trying to blow you back the way you came. Ruby was wet through and cold. And exhausted. Wet, cold, and exhausted. _And_ hungry. Wet, cold, exhausted and hungry. Also, she wanted to take her scythe to a certain authority figure. So. Wet, cold, exhausted, hungry, and grumpy. And wet. Oh. She had 'wet' already. She drew her sleeve across her face, and trudged on.

Yang was walking in front of Ruby, Blake behind her, and Weiss next to her. They were enjoying this outing as much as Ruby was. A little way off were teams JNPR, CFVY, and CRDL. They were all making for the same place. In the distance, brightly lit by its floodlights, was a bullhead aircraft. Its back hatch was half open, and a welcoming glow came from within. The sixteen of them arrived almost at the same moment. They had obviously been seen, because the hatch now opened fully, and in the opening stood Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy.

"Good afternoon, Teams. Well done for making it this far. Team leaders, please join me inside. The rest of you, wait here please."

 

Ruby walked inside and dropped her hood. It was wonderfully warm in the aircraft. The smell of fresh coffee drifted across the cargo hold. In the middle was a table with six chairs, and on the table were plates of chocolate chip biscuits. A big glowing smile was on Ruby's cheeks. Perhaps today, Ozpin would live.

Ruby stopped, suddenly frowning. "Professor Ozpin?"

"Yes, Ruby?"

"Aren't the others coming in?"

Professor Ozpin sat down at the table. "No, this is a meeting for the team leaders only. Have some coffee. It's fresh."

"I'm _not_ having coffee while my friends are outside freezing their nuts off," said Ruby.

Cardin, the leader of Team CRDL, sat down and picked up the coffee jug. "They're _not_ freezing their nuts off, on account of they haven't got any." He poured himself a mug.

"You know what I mean you selfish oaf," said Ruby.

"Sit down please," said Professor Ozpin. "And do have some coffee. Rank has its privileges, and you _are_ the team leaders after all."

Ruby crossed her arms and scowled, staying where she was. Ozpin's laugh was quiet, and not entirely without evil.

"Do you think they are getting any warmer if you _don't_ have any coffee? Come on, we don't have all day."

Coco Adel, leader of Team CFVY, sat down and grabbed a mug. "If one of us gets warmer, the entire team gets warmer on average."

"That's the spirit," said Ozpin.

With a sniff, Ruby sat down on one of the chairs, next to Jaune Arc. Jaune poured her a cup and pushed it over.

 

"Well then," said Professor Ozpin. "How is everybody's team doing?"

"They're fine," said Cardin. "They're tough. They can take a little walk."

"Good good," said Ozpin. "Miss Adel? Who is the strongest member of your team?"

"Yatsuhashi," said Coco, without hesitating.

Ozpin nodded. "Mr. Arc?"

"Pyrrha."

"Very well. Ruby?"

"Yang."

"Cardin?"

"I am."

Ozpin looked at Cardin over his glasses. "You yourself?"

Cardin shrugged. "I can beat any of them in a fight."

"So can Pyrrha," said Jaune, in a whisper. Cardin glared at him. Ruby giggled.

"And who is the weakest?" Ozpin fixed Ruby with a stare.

"Um..." Ruby's cheeks flushed. "I don't like to say, really... Don't know. I suppose..."

"Come on Ruby," said Ozpin. "One of the reasons you're here and they're not is so that you can talk about them without them hearing it. As a leader, you're _supposed_ to be a judge of character, _especially_ your team. So who is it."

Ruby took a deep breath. "Weiss," she said. "Though we could never do without her."

"You worry about her?"

Ruby looked up into Ozpin's eyes. "Yes. Yang is tough as nails. Blake can hit harder than most people. I can always get out of the way. Weiss..."

Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "Good. Miss Adel?"

"Velvet. She's very good at what she does, Professor, but she needs protecting."

"Little freak," mumbled Cardin.

Coco looked at Cardin over her dark sunglasses. "Little freak with some very good friends who are getting tired of people calling her that."

Ruby smiled at Coco. Leadership seemed to come to her naturally. Team CFVY had a year of Academy life on them, and Coco's sheer confidence was infectious. Even the naturally shy Velvet bloomed up beside her. It was the way she always looked like she knew what she was doing. If Ruby had a rolemodel, Coco would be it.

Professor Ozpin turned to Jaune. "Mr. Arc?"

Jaune looked round the table, opening his mouth to speak, then closing it again. He looked at the table.

"Me," he said, finally. "Even Nora is a better fighter than I am."

Cardin laughed. "If you believe that, why are you still the leader?"

"I... I don't know. Pyrrha, Ren and Nora follow me, and I can't disappoint them. They are the best. I can't let them down, no matter how I feel. I..." Jaune trailed off.

Ozpin turned his eyes to Cardin. "And you?"

"Don't know. Probably Russel. I keep telling him to put some armor on, but will he listen?"

"Why _should_ he listen to you, Mr. Winchester?"

"What do you mean?"

"Can you think of a good reason why Mr. Thrush would pay the least bit of attention to what you tell him?" He looked round the table. "Same question to you all, by the way. Why?"

"This is Team Cardinal", said Cardin. "You guys made _me_ the leader. Which means I'll kick his butt if he doesn't."

Coco looked at the half full mug of coffee in her hands. "They know I have their backs. They know that I'll lead them out of trouble. Even if it was me who led them _into_ trouble in the first place. I'll do anything to keep them alive."

 

Ruby sighed. Why _did_ Team RWBY listen to her? Because they were her friends? Because she was such a brilliant strategist? Yeah, right. Ruby the Wise. Because they were afraid of her? Please. Even Weiss was scarier than she was. Because of their respect for authority? She shook her head at the idea alone. Why? It couldn't be because she was such a good leader, because she wasn't. Ruby was the youngest of the team. She thought back to the fights she'd been in. When Torchwick had attacked Blake and Sun with a stolen battle suit, Ruby had called the shots every step of the way. But that wasn't really leading. The combined moves of Blake and Yang, Weiss and herself, her and Blake, had just been the sensible thing to do. Any of them would have known to do it, it was just that Ruby had told them what they would probably have done anyway. She stared at her hands. Some day, she would tell Blake to attack, and Blake would just look at her, and tell her to get stuffed. "But... but... _Ladybug_!" she would say, with big liquid eyes, and Blake would just scoff and wander off. And Blake, Yang and Weiss would beat the stuffing out of whatever it was, and _much_ better than she could ever have thought up. And then the next time they'd just leave her at home.

 

Ruby became aware of Professor Ozpin talking.

"It's not that they're scared of you, or that they like you, or that you can always keep them safe. Sometimes you can't. We are the people who put ourselves in harm's way so that the innocents won't have to." He suddenly looked into Ruby's eyes. "There may come a time, against our hopes and prayers, that the only thing you can do is to send one of your team members out, and you know you won't see her again. And you will know, and she will know. And you'll still send her, and she will still go."

Ruby wanted to swallow, but she had nothing. Would she really send Yang out to get hurt? To, to _die_? Her lips started to tremble and she quickly took a drink of coffee. Yang _would_ go. Ruby's big strong sister would do anything for her, because she loved her and would die to keep her safe. But would Ruby ever be able to ask her? No, not ask. _Tell_. Ruby put her cup down. Never. In the depth of her soul, Ruby knew she could never do that. And that's why she would never truly be a leader. She'd been so proud to see her name up on the announcement board the day their teams were assigned. But Blake, Weiss, and especially Yang were her friends and family. Cardin, of all people, had it right. You needed to stand apart from the rest of your team. He wasn't bothered that they were outside, getting colder and wetter. And a leader couldn't afford to be.

Next to Ruby, Jaune put down his mug and pushed it away from him. He sat up straight.

"I'll go myself," said Jaune.

"No," said Ozpin. "With one member gone, there will still be a team. With the leader gone, there won't be. Not until there is a new leader." Ozpin looked round the table. "You four. You _are_ your teams. With you gone, the team is gone. That is why you get special care, why you are here in the dry and the warm, and they are out in the rain. _You_ four are the most important members of your team. Whether you like it..." Ozpin's eyes turned to Cardin. "Or not," he said, glancing at Jaune. "Have a good long think about that on the way back to the academy. That'll be all for now, people."

Ruby sniffed. " _Now_ can the rest come in?"

Professor Ozpin's grin dripped with pure evil. "I'm afraid not. I have just had word that I am needed somewhere. You'll have to walk home."

Coco sneered. "My team's not gonna like that."

"I expect they won't," said the Professor. "I think they may be slightly annoyed with you. But you'll have to deal with it, Leaders. Out you go. See you back at Beacon."

 

Professor Ozpin basked in the looks of pure hatred he received from the four team leaders. He hit the button and the hatch opened, letting the rain and the wind in. Outside were the starving faces of teams RWBY, JNPR, CFVY and CRDL. Ruby was the last to go out. When nobody was watching, she reached out and quickly palmed a big stack of cookies, stuffing them in her cloak pocket.

Ruby looked at her team. Blake had dropped her backpack and was sitting on it, looking into the distance, her wet black hair being swept across her quiet and impassive face. Yang was still upbeat, grinning and waving at her. Yang's fire-based semblance had a built-in heater that in places like this was the envy of all. Ruby looked over at Weiss and a wave of pity hit her. Weiss looked like a drowned rat, sitting hunched up on a rock, shivering. Ruby sat down next to Weiss, wrapping her cloak round her and pulling her close. She pulled a chocolate chip biscuit out of her pocket and held it in front of Weiss' nose. Weiss' steel blue eyes turned to her, giving her a cold, cold look. Then, after a few moments, a little smile broke through and she took the biscuit out of Ruby's fingers. In a blur of motion completely unbecoming an heiress to a fortune beyond measure, the biscuit disappeared. Ruby gave Weiss an extra hug, then got up and put her hand on Blake's shoulder. Blake smiled, and accepted her biscuit with a quiet 'thank you'. Ruby turned round and held a biscuit out to Yang. Yang punched the air.

"Our team leader is the _best_! She brings us cookies!"

"So easily bought," said Coco. She'd just broken the news to Team CFVY, who had taken it with only a few sad looks.

Yang grabbed Ruby in a headlock and rubbed her knuckles over her head. "I will follow her to the end of the world!"

"Waaah!" said Ruby. Yang let her go.

"Mind you, to follow her _back_ , I'll want another cookie."

Ruby gave her a look and handed her another one.

" _Yess!_ "

 

"Right." Cardin glowered at his teammates. "Anyone want to stay the night here? No? Then grab your packs and get your butts in gear. Hop to it!"

Team CRDL gave a collective annoyed grunt, and set itself in motion. Jaune watched them go for a few moments, then turned to his team.

"Ladies, Ren? Empty your packs. We're _not_ carrying those bricks back."

"Are you sure?" said Pyrrha.

"Positive," said Jaune. "Professor Ozpin told us, and I quote, 'Take these bricks to the coordinates on your scroll'. If he wanted us to take them back, then he undoubtedly would have said."

Coco laughed. "Professor Ozpin is known to choose his words with great care, and expects them to be obeyed to the letter." She bumped her fist into Jaune's shoulder. "Well spotted Vomit Boy."

Everybody tipped the ballast out of their packs. Coco rolled her shoulders.

" _Much_ better. Well, kids. Do you see Beacon Academy flying towards us in the West? No? Shame. Then we will have to go there instead."

With feet like wings, Team CFVY sprinted off into the distance, followed by JNPR anr RWBY. After a few hundred meters, they overtook Team CRDL plodding steadily on.

Ruby looked back over her shoulder.

"Drop those bricks, you bunch of idiots!"

She bent down, and sprinted to the front, towards Beacon Academy. She didn't even feel the cold and the wet anymore. Behind her, Yang, Weiss, and Blake followed her to the end of the world. And back.


End file.
